An animation professional known for her desire to give forward to pros and fans alike, Shannon has expanded her reach to writing prose, and showcasing those authors as well. Read interviews and guest posts from INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS, plus Shannon's own content.

The SHANNON MUIR’S INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS weekly column is a place at Shannon Muir’s author website open to interviews and guest posts from other authors. One thing Shannon firmly believes in for readers not only to learn about new books available, but about those who craft the tales behind them. As its name implies, SHANNON MUIR’S INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS weekly column features writers from all genres of fiction who want their potential audience to get to know them, and their works, better – and occasionally may offer features from Shannon herself that support readers to discover words.

This week, find out more about the book A DAY IN THE LIFE by Theodore Ficklestein in an interview with its author.

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About the Book

A Day In The Life is Theodore Ficklestein’s debut novel about Nickolas Cripp, a college student finding his way in the world. Although Nick won’t admit it, he is the main focus to a young adult book that follows him from his home to college to the city, where he wants to attend an open mic.

Along his path, he encounters a teacher who asks about the apocalypse, a drunk on the train and two friends who feel writing isn’t Nick’s strong point, among others. Nick soon finds out that the funniest things in life aren’t that funny at all, and the greatest comedians never go up on stage.

As he goes through his day, one oddball character at a time, Nick starts to question if the comedy club he dreams of being in, is really for him. Should he be who he wants to be? Or who the world thinks he should be? Neither of which, he is entirely sure about.

A personal journey of self-discovery through the eyes of a youth yearning for meaning in a meaningless world; Nick learns that in life, the joke is on you.

Interview with the Author

What initially got you interested in writing?

In high school, I took a creative writing class and that was the first time I fell in love with writing. I enjoyed it and thought if I worked hard I could make a career out of it. I have been working hard ever since.

What genres do you prefer to write in?

I mostly write poetry and literary fiction. Most of what I post on social media is poetry and my next book I am working on is literary fiction. For the book I just finished A Day In The Life I think it was good that I didn’t identify as a young adult writer as I wrote it since it helped me come at it from what I feel is a unique take on the genre.

Are there any authors you prefer to read and why?

I like the classics. Not only do I find some of them quite enjoyable, but I learn how I can apply some of what they wrote to my writing. Although many of the classics are well known, at one point, it was a writer and an idea. They were in the same position I am in now. That inspires me.

How did you make the move into being a published author?

I started self-publishing my first three books This Book Needs A Title Volume 1 and 2 and I Killed The Man Who Wrote This Book. My book A Day In The Life is my first book being published by a publisher.

What do you find most rewarding about writing?

Finishing the work. Whatever I write, I am glad when I am done with it.

What do you find most challenging about writing?

Getting the proper audience I feel my work deserves. There are a lot of pseudo-poets and pseudo-writers out there and the growth of social media has made getting an audience extra work. I have to supply content to the followers on those platforms and sometimes I don’t’ have the time or energy to do that.

Do you have any tips for writers who find themselves experiencing writer’s block?

Go back to the basics. Get the words out on a piece of paper. They all don’t need to be great. Come up with writing exercises so you can stay sharp. Writing is about alertness as much as anything else and exercises can help your mind stay sharp and used to being creative. It is like a muscle, the more you use it, the stronger it gets.

What advice would you give to people that want to enter the field?

A friend of mine told me a line that I feel is worth repeating. “Don’t have a backup plan. Writing is the only plan.” If you are going to do this, really do it, don’t hold back.

What do you want readers to take away from reading your works?

A lot of them say that my works are funny, which although that is a great compliment, is not always my incentive with my words. I hope that people who read my work say that I am a great writer regardless of the plot. I have read some writers that showed they were great storytellers by writing a story that had no potential, as ironic as that sounds.

Is there anything else about you that you think the readers might find interesting?

Sure. I’ll give a little story about my book A Day In The Life. I planned on it to be my debut book, but I was so bad at organizing the whole thing that I dropped the project and wrote some poetry books with no real topic only because it was easier for me at the time.

About the Author

Theodore Ficklestein is an author, blogger and poet. His books include This Book Needs A Title Volumes 1 and 2 and I Killed the Man Who Wrote This Book. His first novel Day In The Life will be published by Gen Z Publishing in 2017. His multiple blogs include This Blog Needs Sports, This Blog Needs Poetry and This Blog Needs Movies.

SHANNON MUIR began working in animation on shows like EXTREME GHOSTBUSTERS and INVADER ZIM, worked on the virtual world NEOPETS/PETPET PARK, and now has credits writing for animation and short stories.